


We're Not Alright

by LazyRainDancer



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Light Angst, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Graduation, Rei appears in the second chapter, first chapter focuses on Kaoru, so it'd be best to read that fic before reading this one, this is a sequel to Her Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-31 07:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21442357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyRainDancer/pseuds/LazyRainDancer
Summary: After they all return home from their trip to the ski resort, Anzu discovers the snowstorm incident had more of an effect on Kaoru and Rei than she first thought.
Relationships: Anzu & Hakaze Kaoru, Anzu & Sakuma Rei
Kudos: 17





	1. What He Fears Most

A few hours after Anzu turns in for the night, she begins to rouse after sensing movement from the other side of her bed. Since she’s used to late night visitors, this doesn’t alarm the brunette, but she is somewhat surprised since she thought her soulmates would be too tired from the trip back from the ski resort to pay her a visit tonight.

Slowly, Anzu turns to face her surprise visitor as she tiredly rubs her eyes. After a pair of arms wrap tightly around her and pull her into a familiar chest, the producer looks up to meet Kaoru’s tired gaze.

There’s not just exhaustion in his eyes, however. Despite the lack of proper lighting, Anzu can tell that his eyes look puffier than usual which immediately tells her that her soulmate has been crying. 

Worried, Anzu quickly moves to cup his cheek and starts gently stroking the skin under his eyes. Her frown deepens when she feels the dampness of his skin, proving he had been crying very recently. “Kaoru-san, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

For just a second, Kaoru hesitates, probably inwardly deliberating over whether he should actually talk about what’s bothering him, before eventually sighing. “No, I’m not.”

His forehead comes to rest against hers as he hugs her tightly. “I’m not alright at all, Anzu-chan.”

That’s when she feels it. As soon as he says those words, his current feelings suddenly flood through their soul bond, catching her by surprise.

All at once, Anzu feels his exhaustion and his sadness, but what really grabs her attention is the fear she senses. Her heart squeezes painfully when she feels how scared her soulmate is. 

Could it be he had a nightmare? If that's the case, what in the world happened in it that would rattle him this badly?

While one of her arms moves to hug his neck, she runs the fingers of her other hand through his hair. “Did you have a nightmare, Kaoru-san?”

Kaoru shivers in response to her question, causing her to tighten her hold on him. “Yeah. I…”

When he hesitates, Anzu gives him a reassuring squeeze. “It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it. I won’t force you, but if you do want to, I’ll wait however long you need. There’s no rush.”

A small smile appears on his face. “Thank you, Anzu-chan.”

After moving to press a quick kiss on her forehead, the blond buries his face in her hair. “It was about what happened during that snowstorm except in my dream things didn’t end as happily.”

Hearing the obvious pain in his voice gives her a tight feeling in her chest. “Oh, Kaoru-san…”

He releases a shaky sigh. “I was so scared that day, Anzu-chan. All I could think about was all the horrible things that could happen to you three while you were out there stuck in the storm.”

Kaoru begins to tremble. “And, one of my fears came to life in that nightmare. The worst one. The one where none of you came back.”

Tears spring to her eyes as she hugs the idol as tightly as she can. “I know saying it was just a dream doesn’t make it feel less painful, but it wasn’t real, Kaoru-san. We’re all okay. Koga-kun, Adonis-kun, and I made it back to you and Rei-san. The fact that I’m right here now proves that.”

The blond clings to her with all his might. “I know...I know that, but that doesn’t change the fact that it _could_ have happened. You were lucky enough to just run into some tree branches, but what if you had run into an actual tree? You wouldn’t have gotten away with just a sprained ankle. You could’ve..”

A sharp pang resounds in her chest when he chokes up mid-sentence. Immediately, Anzu starts softly rubbing his back as she whispers what she hopes are comforting words. 

Honestly, what can she say to a statement like that? Even though the brunette knows there’s no point worrying about the what-ifs, it’s true that things could’ve ended much more horribly than they actually did. Anzu knows full well how lucky she was, running into just some tree branches and getting found so quickly by Koga and Adonis. 

If just one of those strokes of luck hadn’t happened the way they did, then she could’ve been…

Anzu quickly dismisses those depressing thoughts. Now is not the time for her to wallow in the fear of what-ifs. Comforting her soulmate is way more important.

Just as she opens her mouth to do just that, Kaoru whispers, “I’m sorry, Anzu-chan. I know I shouldn’t tell you such depressing things. No one wants to hear about all the ways things could’ve gone wrong for them. That wasn’t fair of me.”

She quickly shakes her head. “I’d rather you share your worries with me than keep them all bottled up. So, please don’t apologize, Kaoru-san. I’m glad you came to me about this.”

He kisses her hair. “Thank you. I’m glad I came too. I didn’t want to wake you, but after that nightmare, I just couldn’t stay in my room anymore. I had to come see you for myself and make sure you really were okay.”

A quiet sigh passes his lips. “Deep down, I knew that you were fine--that it was all just a dream, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to calm down until I saw you with my own eyes. And, then once I got here, I didn’t want to leave.”

The brunette nuzzles his chest. “You’re always welcome here, Kaoru-san. If something is bothering you, you can always come see me no matter what time it is. You’re very important to me, so if there’s ever anything I can do to help you, please never hesitate to tell me.”

His grip on her tightens. “You’re important to me too, Anzu-chan--so important. Even though I grew up always hearing about how important soulmates were, it didn’t really register with me until I finally met mine. Now, I get it. You, Rei-kun, Adonis-kun, and Koga-kun are all so important to me. That’s why I can’t bear the thought of losing even one of you.”

Kaoru buries his face in her hair, hiding his teary gaze from view. “I already lost my mom. I can’t lose anyone else I love, not when we’ve only really just begun spending our lives together. I want you all to be apart of my life for as long as possible.”

Fighting back her own tears, Anzu gives him a tight squeeze. “I feel the same way. I love you all so much. I want to spend many more years with all of you--my precious family.”

Silence ensues soon after that, and for awhile, neither of them try to break it. Instead, they just cling to one another as tightly as they can, feeling grateful for the fact that they are able to still do this. 

After several minutes pass like this, Kaoru finally speaks, “You know, it was my mom who taught me everything I know about soulmates. Besides the basics, she told me a lot of stories she heard about other soulmate couples since she was a big fan of romance. I liked listening to her talk about them because she always got so excited.”

He quietly chuckles, “It was because of her that I got so excited to meet mine. I even promised her that I’d be the best soulmate ever and always take good care of mine.”

Anzu smiles as she gently strokes his back. “You kept your promise, Kaoru-san.”

A matching smile appears on his face as the blond gives her a soft squeeze. “It was a good thing I made that promise since it’s what made me give Rei-kun and the others a chance. Even though I had no interest in spending time with other guys, I knew I couldn’t just ignore them, not when I promised that I would take good care of my soulmates. So, rather than spend all my free time on dates like I wanted to do, I tried to go to most of our practices, and I got to know the others better.”

His smile softens. “I’m glad I did. They were a handful and gave me plenty of headaches, but I quickly realized Undead was where I belonged. I didn’t think I’d find a place that would make me so happy after my mom’s death, but I was wrong. I found a new home for myself--one that I never wanted to lose.”

Kaoru pulls his face away from her hair so he can meet her gaze. Still smiling, the idol moves to cup her cheek. “That feeling only grew after meeting you, Anzu-chan. Before, it always felt like something was missing, but that changed after you came into our lives. Everything finally felt complete like we finally found that last missing puzzle piece.”

She leans into his touch. “I get it. I felt the same way before coming to Yumenosaki. I could tell I was missing something incredibly important in my life. I just had no idea it would be four soulmates.”

Her soulmate grins as he leans down to rub his nose against hers. “I bet it was quite a shock for you, growing up going to all girls schools and all. On the other hand, I was ecstatic about having such a cute girl for a soulmate. I was starting to lose hope after meeting the other three.”

Giggling, Anzu moves to ruffle his hair. “You say that like you expect me to believe that you think I’m the only soulmate who’s cute.”

He snorts, “Well, Koga-kun and Adonis-kun can be pretty cute more often than not, but you’re the only one who’s always 100% cute~”

The corners of her lips lift higher. “Rei-san would be really disappointed to hear you don’t think he’s cute. I think he’d cry.”

Kaoru fondly rolls his eyes. “Calling Rei-kun cute is as weird as calling me cute. We’re the handsome guys of the unit with the high sex appeal. We leave being cute to our adorable kouhai.”

She tilts her head. “But, I think both you and Rei-san are cute. Like when you get excited about eating pancakes or when he gets to see Ritsu-kun, you both make really adorable faces.”

Red colors his cheeks as his expression turns sheepish. “Well...I guess being cute isn’t that weird, at least when you’re the one who's saying it. I’ve heard Rei-kun call me that in the past, but it always sounds like he’s just trying to mess with me. So, I’ve never taken him seriously.”

Her eyes gain an amused glint. “Knowing Rei-san, he was being completely serious. After all, you really are a cute person, Kaoru-san.”

Chuckling, Kaoru moves to nuzzle her hair. “Not as cute as you, though. Our Anzu-chan is the cutest person on the planet~”

Almost immediately after he says that, the blond yawns which his soulmate does not fail to notice. “Kaoru-san, do you think you’ll be able to get some sleep tonight? If you’d rather not, I don’t mind staying up with you to keep you company.”

Kaoru shakes his head. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I always sleep well when I’m with you, so I’m not really worried about having anymore nightmares.”

With a smile, he presses a kiss against her forehead. “Thank you, Anzu-chan. I feel better after getting that all off my chest. Sorry for keeping you up so late.”

Anzu returns his smile. “I’m glad I could help. Although, I wish I could’ve done more for you besides just being a listening ear.”

He gives her a gentle squeeze. “You did more than enough. There’s not really a quick fix for my problem since I’m just worrying about the what-ifs, but it felt good to finally talk to someone about what was bothering me. I think I needed to do that so I could finally stop dwelling on it so much.”

His smile softens. “Besides, just getting to be with you like this makes me feel a lot better. You have a soothing quality about you that makes it easy for me to relax when I’m around you. So, you’ve helped more than you realize.”

Grinning, Anzu gives his cheek a quick kiss before moving to bury her face in his chest. “I’m glad to hear that. Hopefully, my special powers will make sure you have good dreams for the rest of the night.”

A yawn escapes his lips as Kaoru nuzzles her hair. “I always have good dreams when I’m with you, Anzu-chan.”

She hugs him tightly. “Good night, Kaoru-san.”

He closes his eyes, leaving his face pressed against her hair. “Good night, Anzu-chan.”

Not long after he says that, his breathing evens out, signaling that the blond has fallen asleep. Rather than immediately follow his example, Anzu spends a few minutes gently stroking his back, wanting to offer her soulmate as much comfort as she can while also waiting to make sure he really is sleeping peacefully before going to bed herself.

Once enough time passes without any change in his demeanor, Anzu finally closes her eyes and succumbs to sleep’s enticing pull. Within seconds, she falls asleep and enters a peaceful slumber.

Just as he expected, with Anzu in his arms, Kaoru doesn’t have any trouble sleeping through the rest of the night. His dreams are completely nightmare free.

Unfortunately, while those two are enjoying a peaceful night’s sleep, the same can’t be said for one of their other soulmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fact about the soulmate AU: While strong emotions can be felt through the bond no matter where the soulmates are once they've made initial contact, emotions can also sometimes be felt when soulmates are in direct contact and one of them is in a vulnerable state of mind. In this fic's case, Anzu could feel Kaoru's emotions since he was hugging her and vulnerable because of his nightmare. In case you were wondering about the others, his emotions weren't strong enough to be felt through the soul bond for those who weren't in contact with him at the time. 
> 
> At first, I just intended this to be focused on KaoAn, but then, I started thinking about Rei. Obviously, I couldn't let him not get any comfort when he was just as hurt about what happened as Kaoru, so the next part will focus on some ReiAn comfort. It'll get posted sometime this weekend.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed the first part! ^-^


	2. What Hurts Him Most

Thankfully, despite not getting as much sleep as originally planned, Anzu doesn’t have any problems the next day at work. It probably helps that her workload isn’t as heavy as it usually is.

Since this is such a rare opportunity, the producer decides to take advantage of the free time she has by going home for lunch rather than just grab a bite somewhere near the office like she usually does on days like today when she doesn’t pack a bento. She figures she might as well make the most of the next few hours she has free to have a nice long lunch break. 

Plus, by going home, Anzu can check up on Rei who didn’t have any work today unlike the rest of their soulmates. The last time she saw him, which was right before she left for work, the dark haired idol was heading to his room to get some sleep.

In the past, this wasn’t unusual for him. Rei would stay up all night and sleep through the majority of the day since it was easier for him to move around when the sun was down.

Once he graduated, however, things began to change since most idol work takes place during the day. As a result, he had to rearrange his sleeping schedule, so he’s normally awake when everyone else is nowadays.

Today, however, seems to be an exception since Rei was already awake when everyone else was, and after breakfast, he headed straight for bed much to the surprise of his soulmates. In the end, no one decided to question him about it since today was a free day for him, so he had the right to spend it however he wanted.

Something about the situation just didn’t seem right to Anzu, though. That’s why she wanted to come home to check up on him. And, the producer wanted to make sure he didn’t spend the whole day sleeping since that would throw his sleep schedule out of sorts which she knows would be a pain for him to fix later on.

Besides wanting to check to make sure Rei really is alright, Anzu also thought it’d be nice to spend her free time with him. It’s not often that their schedules align like this, so she wants to make the most of it.

When she returns home, the brunette doesn’t bother announcing her presence, knowing there’s no point when the only other person there is fast asleep. Since it’s only been a few hours since Rei went to bed, she decides not to try to wake him right away. 

Her goal is to wake him up later on so they can have lunch together. By doing this, Anzu can get some quality time with her soulmate while also making sure he doesn’t sleep through the whole day. She’ll just have to cross her fingers and hope he won’t go back to sleep after she returns to the office.

After setting her bag to the side, Anzu heads for her bedroom, so she can charge her phone. Once her phone is on the charger, the brunette plans on hanging out on the couch so she can watch some TV, an activity she rarely gets to enjoy thanks to her always busy schedule. As she passes through the living room, she sees Leon dozing on the couch, so she makes sure to give him a little ear scratch before moving toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. 

Much to her shock, when Anzu walks into her room, she finds Rei asleep in her bed. Once she eventually shakes off her surprise, the producer starts wondering if this was intentional or if the idol accidentally walked into her room instead of his and didn’t realize his mistake because he was too tired. 

She’s soon drawn out of her thoughts after hearing a quiet whimper from the bed. Worried, Anzu quietly approaches the bed and moves to take a seat on the edge of it. 

Thanks to the light pouring in from the hallway, the brunette is able to get a good look at her soulmate’s face. Her eyes widen when she sees the tear tracks on his cheeks. 

Immediately, one of her hands moves to cup his cheek as she leans closer toward him. A frown forms on her face as her thumb moves to gently stroke his damp skin. 

Looks like Kaoru isn’t the only one dealing with nightmares lately. She wonders if his are the same as the blond’s. Is Rei dreaming about all the things that could’ve gone wrong during the snowstorm, or is this nightmare about something completely different?

When he whimpers again, Anzu decides to wake him. There’s no way he’s getting any proper rest when he’s so distressed, and she can’t stand seeing her soulmate in pain like this.

The brunette moves her hand from his face to his hair. As she cards her fingers through the dark strands, Anzu murmurs, “Rei-san, please wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

Shortly after she starts calling out to him, Rei abruptly jerks upwards into a sitting position, chest heaving as he attempts to catch his breath. It doesn’t take him long to notice her presence, and as soon as he does, the idol immediately wraps his arms around his soulmate and pulls her into a tight embrace.

She quickly returns the hug and uses one of her hands to rub his trembling back. “It’s okay, Rei-san. It was just a nightmare. You’re safe now. Everyone is safe.”

That last sentence is thrown in after Anzu remembers what happened last night. While she has no way to confirm what Rei’s nightmare was about, she figures it wouldn’t hurt to reassure him that all his soulmates are safe just in case.

His grip on her tightens as he buries his face in her hair. For awhile, the two remain in that position with Rei remaining silent. The only sounds that can be heard in the room are his shaky breaths and her voice as she continues to whisper words of comfort to her soulmate.

It’s unusual for him to be so quiet. His nightmare must have been truly awful to have such an effect on the idol.

Eventually, the silence is broken by his quiet voice. “My apologies, Anzu. I hate you have to see me in such a pitiful state.”

Anzu immediately shakes her head as she hugs him tighter. “You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s perfectly normal to be upset after having a nightmare. I’m just glad I was able to be here for you so you wouldn’t have to suffer alone.”

Rei kisses her hair. “While I did not want you to see me in such a state, I cannot deny feeling grateful for your presence. Thank you.”

When he finally pulls back so she can see his face, Anzu reaches for her pocket to pull out her handkerchief. She proceeds to use it to dry his tear-streaked cheeks. “I’m glad I decided to come check on you during my break. I had been worried since you don’t normally stay up all night like you used to. Were you unable to sleep because of nightmares?”

He closes his eyes as he lowers his face, giving her easier access to it. “Unfortunately, that is what happened. I had one early in the night and was unable to sleep for the rest of the night.”

The corners of her lips tug downwards as she pulls the handkerchief away from his now dry cheeks and sets it to the side. “I wish you would’ve told one of us. You know, I wouldn’t have minded if you came to sleep in my room.”

A soft smile forms on his face as he opens his eyes to meet her gaze. “I know. However, since you were comforting Kaoru-kun at the time, I thought it would be better not to interrupt.” 

She blinks in surprise. “You knew about that?”

With a chuckle, Rei strokes her hair. “I did. I noticed him enter your room, looking very distraught. Out of worry, I approached your room and heard you both talking. Since you had everything under control, I decided it was best to not bother the two of you.”

Anzu frowns, “You wouldn’t have bothered us, Rei-san. I really wish you had said something. You’re bad about putting all our needs above your own. Your needs are just as important. We never want you to suffer alone.”

Surprise briefly flashes across his visage, and then, his expression softens. “It is rather unfair of me to ask you all to come to me whenever you are troubled but not do the same in return. It implies a lack of trust which is the exact opposite of how I truly feel. I merely wanted to avoid burdening my precious soulmates with my troubles.”

The brunette moves to cup his face and gently strokes his skin with her thumbs. “We all love you a lot, Rei-san. You’re important to us, so if something is bothering you, we want you to tell us so we can help. Please?”

Rei leans into her touch as he smiles, “I could never refuse a request of yours, my dear Anzu.”

He sighs as he brings his forehead to rest against hers. “I suppose I should explain what my nightmares have been about. That seemed to help Kaoru-kun last night, so I am sure it will be the same for me.”

One of her hands moves to run through his hair while her other arm hugs his neck. “You don’t have to go into details if you don’t want to, but I do want to ask one thing: Was the subject the same as Kaoru-san’s nightmare?”

His grip on her tightens as his eyes fall shut. “Yes.”

Just like last night, a rush of emotions flood through the soul bond. Anzu gets a tight feeling in her chest after she feels all the pain, sadness, and fear her soulmate has been dealing with all on his own. “Rei-san…”

When he opens his eyes, Anzu sees a vulnerability in his gaze that makes her breath catch. She’s never seen him look like that before.

As she tries to find her voice, Rei cups her cheek. “I know worrying about what could have happened will accomplish nothing. Worrying solves nothing and will only hurt me the more I continue to do so. However, even though I know this, I still cannot stop myself from thinking about how I could have lost you, Koga, and Adonis-kun that day. ”

There’s a glassy sheen in his eyes now. “It hurts, Anzu. Imagining my life without you or any of our other precious soulmates hurts more than I can even begin to describe. I love you, Koga, Kaoru-kun, and Adonis-kun more than anything. I do not want to ever imagine my life without any of you.”

Tears spring to her eyes when she hears the obvious pain in his voice. Rei immediately moves to wipe away the tears hanging in the corner of her left eye while bringing his lips to her other eye so he can kiss away those tears. 

After he does that, Anzu buries her face in his neck. “We all feel the same way, Rei-san. We all want to be together for as long as possible. That’s why, no matter what kind of situation I end up in, I promise to do everything I can to make sure I always come back to you guys.”

He hugs her tightly as he hides his face in her hair. “I promise to do the same. Just as I never want to experience the pain of losing one of my soulmates, I never want any of you to suffer that kind of loss. I will do everything in my power to protect our family.”

Several minutes pass with the two remaining in that position, silently clinging to each other. When they eventually pull apart, Anzu decides to ask a question that has been on her mind since she walked into the room. “Did you come into my room by mistake because you were so tired, or was it intentional?”

A small sheepish smile forms on his face as he runs a hand through his hair. “In an attempt to prevent future nightmares, I decided to try sleeping in a room other than my own. Since I always sleep so well when I am in your room, I thought I would have a greater chance of getting some proper rest. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I apologize for entering your room without your permission.”

She reaches for his hand and gives it a strong squeeze. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

His smile softens as he interlocks his fingers with hers. “Thank you.”

At that moment, her stomach growls, making her flush in embarrassment. Rei chuckles at her reaction. “I see you have not eaten lunch yet. Were you planning on having lunch here, or was this supposed to be a brief visit so you could see how I was doing?”

Anzu nods at his first question. “I had some free time today, so I thought I’d come home to make lunch. Besides checking on you, I wanted to see if you’d like to have lunch together.”

He stares at her in surprise for a few seconds before donning a warm smile. “I would love to. Thank you for the kind invitation.”

She beams, “Great! And, after we’re done eating, we can come back here, so you can get some rest. I’ll stay with you until I have to go back to the office. Hopefully, I can chase away your nightmares like I did with Kaoru-san.”

Rei lifts the hand being held in his to his lips so he can kiss her knuckles. “Thank you. With you at my side, I am no longer worried about nightmares plaguing my dreams because I always only have pleasant dreams when I am with you.”

So, after the two have an enjoyable lunch, they return to her room and make themselves comfortable under the covers. While it seemed like Rei’s original intention was to sleep while hugging Anzu close to his chest, the producer comes up with the idea of him sleeping with his head resting against her chest, so he can listen to her heartbeat. 

Considering how the tension in his frame eases soon after his head comes to rest against her chest, it’s obvious how much he enjoys this position. With a smile, Anzu starts carding her fingers through his hair. “This way you can always tell that I’m right here with you safe and sound.”

His grip on her tightens. “It is a lovely sound I will always treasure. Thank you, Anzu.”

The brunette presses a kiss against his hair. “You’re welcome. I hope you have sweet dreams.”

A smile appears on his face as he closes his eyes. “I am sure I will.”

Not long after that, Rei falls asleep, proving just how exhausted he was. Anzu takes turns between stroking his hair and his shoulders as she waits to see if his peaceful sleep will eventually be disturbed by nightmares.

Thankfully, it seems his earlier words were correct since Rei continues to sleep peacefully even after thirty minutes pass. Looks like her presence really is a nightmare repellent after all.

Smiling, Anzu slowly reaches for her cellphone so she can check the time. According to the clock, she should be able to stay for another hour before she has to leave for work. That is, unless the producer decides to work from home this afternoon which should be doable considering her light schedule today…

She’s drawn out of her thoughts by Rei who affectionately nuzzles her chest as he hugs her tighter. Her heart swells with affection in response to his actions. 

A grin soon forms on her lips. It's decided. Working from home it is. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's that ReiAn hurt/comfort I promised. I just couldn't bear to leave Rei out after I wrote Kaoru's part since I knew Rei would be suffering just as much. He cares a great deal about his soulmates so unsurprisingly the events of Her Boys had a big effect on him. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed the story! ^_^


End file.
